High School Hijinks: Tales of Mischief and Mayham
by Selene Illusinia
Summary: This is part of my prompt dump stuff. Same table as the other two, but this time the stories tie into the 'More Than She Seems' series. Non-chronological. Follows the adventures and misadventures of Darcy, Dani, and Loki.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, so, I thought this through and decided 'why not, I'll use the prompts to write the high school stories I've been meaning to make'. Thus, without further ado, I present the high school adventures (or in some cases misadventures) of Darcy, Dani, and Loki.**

**Enjoy!**

**- Illusinia**

**prompt: **help

* * *

Loki barely glanced at the caller ID on his cellphone before answering. "Yes Darcy?"

"Dude, you have to get over to Zar's, now," insisted Dani, surprising Loki only slightly. He knew the girls had identical phones and often accidentally switched them.

"What is at Zar's that is so important?" asked Loki curiously.

Dani started to say something but a crash from behind had her cursing instead. "Fuck Darce! Watch the metal!"

Some muttered response came from Darcy but Loki was unable to make out the words. With the phone still pressed to his ear, he grabbed the keys to the car he had magicked into his possession, much as he had the house in which he was living, and headed out the door. "Where are you at Zar's? He controls a good amount of land."

"Back right corner, the old garage on the property," replied Dani without a thought. "See you when you get here."

Loki sighed as the phone clicked off before he could reply and slid into his car. He wasn't a fan of the devices, preferring to teleport rather than drive, but didn't want to give himself away either. And unfortunately driving was a normal part of Midgardian life. Thus, Loki drove himself out of the neighborhood in which he had taken up residence and made his way to the edge of the small Colorado town.

Zar's place, as Dani and Darcy called it, was the scrap yard on the edge of town. They collected everything from wrecked cars and rusting tractors to old appliances and furniture. The space was really more of a large object dump rather than a scrap yard, but people used what Zar collected, so there wasn't much that Loki could say about it. He also made a decent internet business.

Parking beside the large chain-link fence that surrounded the area, Loki examined the space he could see in hopes he would spot Darcy or Dani. Otherwise it could take a while to find them. Dani may have said they were going to be in the old garage, but those two often got distracted and rarely remained where they said they'd be.

Well, Darcy was really the one who got distracted. She could spend hours soldering small devices together or fixing cars but she would get distracted in five minutes by something shiny. It was an odd complex and Loki wondered often what her biological parents were like. It could explain a few things about Darcy herself. Namely, he wanted to know if her parents, either one, had her fluctuating attention span. He had never met someone before who tended to jump between no focus and extreme focus like Darcy did. Plus there was her tendency to become bored very quickly, which boded well for him because she always found some mischief to indulge in when she was bored.

Spotting neither woman, Loki started trekking towards the aforementioned garage which was really little more than a cement cube with a tin roof and massive bay door in the front. The inside had been gutted long before any member of their group started making an appearance at the junk yard and the space inside remained largely empty. Well, it had been empty. Now, as Loki drew near, he could see the bay doors were open and pieces of equipment that hadn't previously been inside now took up residence. He could also hear Darcy and Dani talking loudly inside.

Loki didn't make any noise as he approached. He enjoyed sneaking up on his friends whenever possible. Of course, Dani usually noticed pretty quickly but Darcy didn't always do the same so there were times when Loki could make her jump. Now, however, wasn't going to be one of those times as Dani turned to wave at Loki and Darcy waved at him from over her shoulder, attention caught by something in front of her.

"You two appear to have made yourselves at home," commented Loki mildly as he stepped into the garage.

Dani laughed. "More like Darcy's making herself at home. Zar is letting her use his garage as a workshop."

"Really?" asked Loki, his surprise evident. Zar was friendly with the girls, mostly because he found their antics entertaining. He wasn't too much older than either girl, having inherited the junk yard from his father who decided the junk business wasn't for him. "With what reasoning?"

"He heard Darcy complaining about how her parents had barred her from building anything in their garage because stuff kept exploding," explained Dani with a grin. "Darcy gets to use the space as much as she wants in exchange for helping out here at the yard on weekends."

"Repairing anything that needs fixing," called Darcy from where she had moved to work on setting up what looked like a welding torch. "Of Zar's equipment that is."

Dani shot her a confused look. "I thought you had to help sort scrap and things like that."

"Hardly," replied Darcy as she got whatever she was trying to up and running before turning to walk over with her friends. "Zar just wants a good mechanic on hand, so basically I have to hang around here on the weekends and fix any of Zar's machinery that breaks. Nothing too bad."

Loki nodded, finding that the deal sounded more than acceptable. "Will you run maintenance as well?"

"Of course," dismissed Darcy as she turned to look at a clipboard resting on a work bench. "It wouldn't make sense for me not to run maintenance checks on everything as well. Zar's doing me a big favor by letting me set up shop here. Not only do I have easy access to any materials I need so long as I've got the cash for them, I have an isolated workspace away from home where I won't have to deal with Barb and Stan."

Loki was still slightly taken aback by the way that Darcy referred to her parents by their first names. He had discovered that her household was more than a little strange though. "So we will have to come out here on the weekends?"

"Probably," confirmed Darcy with a shrug. "But Zar's getting me a key so we can come out here whenever we want."

"No more plotting pranks in the kitchen of my house," confirmed Dani. "Though I like the easy access to drinks."

Darcy shrugged. "There's electricity out here, and I'm going to set up a separate generator to run some of the more powerful machines so Zar doesn't get stuck with the electricity bill on that. We can set up a refrigerator out here and stash a burner for tea along with a coffee machine out here. I'll just set up a space for that."

"Use the break room in the office," corrected Zar as he strolled into the garage.

The man wasn't very tall but he was well built. A heavy southern twang colored his words, but it sounded more soothing than anything else. Short brown hair and soft brown eyes made him look no older than 18 when he was really 23. There was something boyish about him as well, though Loki had seen Zar step up to defend both Darcy and Dani when someone decided to hit on the girls to the point where it looked like he was going to commit assault. Zar was menacing enough that the kid who'd been harassing them ran. It was also the last time anyone from school had really pursued the girls extensively, which was fine by Loki.

Dani turned to wave to Zar while Darcy glanced at him over her shoulder before turning to lean on the table behind her. "Why the break room Zar?"

"I don't want any potential fire hazards out here," explained Zar. "I didn't give you this space so you could kill yourselves doing something stupid."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," responded Darcy with an eye-roll and a grin. Of course she'd do what Zar said, she respected him too much _not_ to. "Alright, no uncontrolled fire in the garage. Got it."

Zar nodded and tossed a ring of keys at Darcy which she caught easily. He also through a ring at Dani. "There's the keys I had made for you Darcy, including a copy for the break room attached to the back of the building. You already know the alarm code and don't try to tell me otherwise because I know anything else is bullshit." Darcy quickly shut her mouth while Zar just smirked at her. "Dani," he pointed at the keys in her hand, "that's a spare to the junk yard in case you need to get in here for some reason. With Darcy hanging around here, I figured it might be necessary. I'd give you a key too Loki, but I know you've got some lock-picking magic that you use so I'm not going to bother." Loki just grinned.

"You are the best Zar," insisted Darcy as she pulled out her key ring and slid the new ring onto it. "Seriously, you don't know what a big deal this is for me."

"You're doing me just as much of a favor by doing the machine maintenance and upkeep," insisted Zar. "Not only do I hate doing maintenance checks but you're saving me on actually having someone come out to run the maintenance."

Darcy shrugged. "No sweat. Its no different from the work I do at Kelley's."

Dani shook her head. "Only you would write off mechanical work as 'no big deal'."

"What can I say?" asked Darcy as she picked up her clipboard again. "It comes naturally to me."

Zar shook his head. "I still say if Stark ever puts out an add for a long-lost daughter that you'd be a good contender. You even look like him."

"Hardly," dismissed Darcy with a wave of her hand. "For one thing I have blue eyes, not brown, which is genetically unlikely. For another, Stark is an egotistical ass who, though he gets a lot of tail, could probably never actually convince a woman to _keep_ any child of his. Beyond that, I doubt he'd care if he did have a long-lost kid."

"Probably not," agreed Zar with a shrug as he turned to leave. "Alright, if you need any help, call me."

"Will do," replied Darcy distractedly as she began rummaging around in the garage again, setting stuff up as she went.

Loki just shook his head. "How long before we have to forcefully remove her from here for the first time?"

"I give it a day," replied Dani with a grin as she started to leave the garage as well. "C'mon Loki, let's get some lunch. We'll bring something back for you too Darce!" The last bit was shouted over Dani's shoulder but Darcy just waved at them, muttering about something or another.

Loki sighed and shook his head. "I give it twelve hours."

Dani laughed. "You're on."


	2. Prompt: Transportation

**Prompt: **Transportation

**From: **avengers-tables .livejournal **under 50-word prompt (yes, I do intent to use all 50 words)**

* * *

Loki wasn't really sure WHAT to make of the sight in front of him. If he didn't know the two women who had called him there, he might have been surprised. But he knew them all-too-well, so surprise wasn't the right word for how he felt.

Shock fit the bill a little better, but even that wasn't the right word. Because, when he thought about it, there was nothing shocking ABOUT this situation. It was completely within the realm of possibility.

Finally, he just settled on confused. Namely because he couldn't determine their motivation for what he was seeing. Really, what reason could they have for building a two-story tall robot in the middle of a park two cities away? Beyond the fact that he was almost positive they had been drunk at the time.

It also begged the question of how they had ended up in the park two cities away, but Loki was more interested in why they were sleeping off their drunken states in the robot they'd built in a park two cities over. With his two friends, the 'why' was often the most important (and entertaining) question. And usually the most difficult to answer.

Eying the metal monstrosity with trepidation, Loki slowly approached the robot containing his two passed-out friends. How they had built that thing in the park, and he knew they had due to the numerous tools lying around, was a mystery in and of itself. It wasn't like they had a wench to move the larger parts around.

Reaching the edge of the women's make-shift work area, he noted the improvised wench hanging over the edge of a very sturdy tree branch and revised his previous assessment. He should have seen that one coming. They could make tools out of anything.

Dodging a multitude of other hand-tools scattered on the ground, Loki carefully approached the robot's feet. "Dani, Darcy?"

Someone's hand, maybe Darcy's given the amount of grease, twitched where it hung over the edge of the chest opening on the robot. A groan that sounded like Dani echoed from inside the machine.

Sighing, he called out to them again. "Darcy, Dani, you may wish to wake prior to the sun rising. Otherwise, the police will likely be the ones waking you."

Twin groans echoed from the robot this time, the limp arm withdrawing into the chest opening. Dani's head appeared over the edge of the opening, eyes squinting in his general direction. "Loki?"

"No, I am Ratatockr in human form come to torment you. Who else would it be?" replied Loki with a roll of his eyes. Clearly, they had been in worse condition than he'd thought. "I will assume you do not recall phoning me an hour ago, Dani?"

"Uh..." Dani squinted her eyes a bit, then withdrew and checked her phone. "Huh, guess I did."

"Yes, you did," confirmed Loki. "You called to request a ride and transport for a robot the size of a small tree." Glancing at the robot again, Loki just shook his head. "I had hoped you were joking about the robot." He allowed the exasperated sigh which had formed to leave his throat. "How much drink have you consumed?"

His question was met with silence for all of 30 seconds before Darcy broke into the conversation with a groan. "Enough that your old-English talk is incomprehensible." Her head appeared beside Dani's, glaring at him.

"And yet, you answered my question and used a six sylable word in the process," countered Loki with a smirk.

Darcy rolled her eyes. "Yeah, because I know you and I'm drunk, not a complete dumbass."

"Most people tend to loose IQ points with alcohol consumption," pointed out Loki as he began to climb the robot's leg.

"Am I most people?" challenged Darcy, continuing before he could respond. "No, thank god. The world only needs one of me. But you're right about the cops if we don't get moving."

Loki nodded as he slipped over the edge of the open chest. The inside was more spacious and comfortable than he had expected. It took him a moment to realize he was sitting in the control room for the robot, which explained the space. "Is this thing operable?"

"Probably," replied Darcy. Her eyes darted around for a moment before she found and pressed a button on the wall. The machine came to life with a groan. "Yep, it works. Well..." she pressed another button beside the first, which did nothing, "kinda. I didn't finish programming it. Not sure we can..." she hit yet another button and the machine took a step forward. "Never mind. Must of used my laptop."

Loki glanced behind him, noting Darcy's laptop tucked away in the back with two backpacks. He wondered for a moment why they'd been carrying the computer in the first place, then dismissed the thought. He wasn't going to ask. "Did you bring the tools as well?"

"Nah, we borrowed those from a construction site across the street," replied Darcy with a shrug.

Dani nodded, apparently finally awake because she was monitoring something on a series of dials. "We left a note, so they know where the tools are, along with enough money to cover the material's we used to built this thing."

"How did you estimate that?" asked Loki curiously, even as he used his magic to return the tools; he'd noticed the construction site on his way in. He would calculate and replace the materials later. There was no reason for his friends to pay for the materials when he could easily replace them using magic without the girls ever knowing. Of course, sneaking the money back to them would be harder, but he wasn't the God of Mischief for nothing. Trickery was his specialty.

"Based on current material values," replied Darcy, drawing Loki's attention back to the discussion at hand. "We watch the market. Well, at least I do."

"Of course you do," teased Loki with a faint smile. "That is what all women your age do in their spare time. Now, what else can this machine do?"


	3. Prompt: Understanding

**Prompt: **Understanding

**From: **avengers-tables .livejournal **under 50-word prompt (yes, I do intent to use all 50 words)**

* * *

"Darcy, what are you doing?" asked Loki reluctantly as he stared at the smoking chunk of metal and rubber tubes which most people would call an engine. He had entered the backyard assuming (correctly) that his two friends would be there rather than inside. Finding them playing with a smoking engine wasn't what he was expecting though.

Darcy glanced back at him from where she and Dani were ducking behind a low wall in the Finches' backyard. "Testing something."

"I see," replied Loki, uneasily eying the increasingly worrisome smoke.

Natasha, who had run into Loki in front of the house while attempting to track down her younger cousin, Dani, cocked an eyebrow at the two young women. "Is it supposed to be smoking like that?"

"Yep," confirmed Darcy as she hit another button on a remote in her hands. The engine started to power down.

Dani picked up the conversation from there, eyes darting between the engine and the notepad in her hands. "We're testing a chemical mix that will produce smoke in an engine without damaging the engine or causing an explosion."

Loki nodded slowly, eyes narrowed. "I will assume this is related to a prank, but I must ask: why a smoking engine?"

"To freak out Mrs. Garspelt," replied Darcy easily. "Bitch gave me detention again today."

Natasha shook her head slightly and dropped down to sit beside Dani on the ground. "No offense intended Darcy, but you tend to deserve it when you get detention."

"She gave me detention for cheating," growled Darcy. "Just because I was the only one in her class to ace her stupid test, she thought I cheated." Darcy shot a sidelong glance at Natasha, a scowl on her lips. "I do a lot of things, but I don't cheat. Don't need to."

Dani nodded in agreement, pen scribbling away still. "It's a major insult to insinuate either of us would have to cheat to pass anything."

"So you're going to get her back by making an engine smoke?" questioned Natasha, brow furrowing slightly even as Loki could see her plotting something of her own. Something about Natasha always put Loki a little on edge. The woman was dangerous in a way he didn't understand. Still, he wouldn't stop her from seeking her own revenge on behalf of the girls. The substitute math teacher was a complete bitch and Loki would be glad to see her taken down a few notches by anyone, including his friend's cousin.

"Her engine," corrected Dani, eyes rising to the engine again. "We're going to put this solution in her engine and make the whole thing smoke up."

"She'll be so freaked out," agreed Darcy with a grin. "The woman lives for that damn car of hers."

Natasha shook her head slowly, but in a way that said she wasn't going to even try and intervene. "She'll know it was you two."

"No she won't," replied Dani with a grin. "And even if she does suspect us, she'll have no proof. The chemical completely evaporates, leaving no residue or any indicator that it was ever there and once the chemical reaction starts, the chemical won't stop breaking down until it's completely gone."

"So she'll have no evidence, and there will be no sign of anything being wrong with her car when she takes it to a mechanic," finished Darcy as she hoped over the edge of the low wall, heading for the cooling engine.

Loki nodded, understanding their reasoning perfectly. "Perfect."

Natasha just shook her head before standing to approach the engine as well. "I will never understand your reasoning. Either of you." Releasing a sigh, she began to walk around the engine as Darcy prepared to begin a systems check. "So, Darcy, where did you manage to find a 1967 Pontiac Firebird engine anyway?"


End file.
